Good News From Iraq

Release A060512c
Coalition helicopters stop IED emplacers, kill one
TIKRIT, Iraq – One insurgent was killed and one was wounded by coalition aircraft May 11 while attempting to emplace an IED east of Hawija, in the Kirkuk Province.

During a nighttime aerial reconnaissance mission, helicopters from the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, discovered two insurgents digging near a road in an effort to place an IED. The aircrews shot both insurgents.

A ground team of Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division and 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division moved into the area and confirmed that one insurgent was killed. The second was wounded and was not found at the site. The ground team also discovered two AK-47s, two hand grenades and several magazines.

The IED was made up of artillery rounds and was destroyed in a controlled blast.

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LSA Anaconda United States citizenship ceremony
LSA ANACONDA, Iraq – One hundred twenty-three U.S. service members, representing 52 countries, were sworn in as U.S. citizens during a ceremony at the Sustainer Theater May 12 near Balad, Iraq .

The commander of the 40th Corps Support Group, Col. Jannett Jackson presided over the swearing-in ceremony.

Co-op brings new hope to local Iraqi farmers
Story by Staff Sgt. Russell Lee Klika 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
BAGHDAD, Iraq - As planting season approaches, farmers outside of Baghdad, Iraq, are learning the true meaning of cooperation with a little help from Coalition forces.

Members of the 445th Civil Affairs Battalion are currently working to continue a farmer’s co-op in the Mada-In district that began over two years ago when previous Civil Affairs units procured tractors and land for the co-op. The benefits of this program will be seen this season by farmers all over the district.
The long term, non-profit project has culminated with the addition of seed and implements for the local agrarians.

“When up and running, the cooperative will benefit about twenty thousand people,” says Maj. Deborah Yarbrough, a Civil Affairs team leader from Memphis, Tenn. “Even if the people are not directly involved in farming the land, they are either buying or selling the products.”

The co-ops’ headquarters building was constructed on an old Saddam-era military complex.
“We have a written contract with the Department of Agriculture that states if we build the building they will not take it away from the farmers,” Yarborough explains.
After the building was complete, the next step was to get the farmers equipment to plow the fields. The equipment included tractors and plows that the co-op rents out to the farmers for about five thousand dinar an hour (about $3.56 US dollars). Once the fields are plowed, the planting process begins.

This season the farmers will be planting corn, tomatos, okra, sesame seed and tons of watermelon. They will also be planting a corn like maize for the animals. The co-op sells the seed to the farmers at slightly less than market value but makes up the difference by renting out the tractor implements.

“Farmers like to farm. We are putting a lot of people back to work. By doing this, chances are they will not join the insurgency. Right now in this area, joining the bad guys is the only source of money,” said Yarbrough. “These people need to feed their families. By starting this project, we are hoping that when they see things that are not right, they may call one of the many collation hotlines to report suspicious activity.”

Everyone benefits. With one final check of the equipment and seed, making sure everything is in working order, Yarbrough and her team gets out of the farmer’s hair, anxious to leave the site and let them get back to the business of feeding families.

Release A060513b
Al-Amarah fire station now fully functional
ALI AIR BASE, Iraq – After more than 50 years of neglect and disrepair, the Al-Musharra Fire Station in the Al-Amarah Province is now a fully-functioning, integral part of the community.

Located near the Tigris River , the structure was weakened by the high ground water table. Crumbling walls and floors, a polluted water storage tank and decayed roof tiles were just a few of the reconstruction problems. New joists and wall supports, roof tiles and floor tiles were installed to bring vitality back to the building. New electrical, water, sewage and air conditioning systems were installed and a sleeping quarters, kitchen area and general use room were built to accommodate the nine fireman stationed there. The station now provides vital fire detection and deterrence to more than 750,000 Al-Amarah residents.

The renovation began on Nov. 28, 2004, and was completed recently at a cost of $110,000. The project was funded by the Iraqi Relief and Reconstruction Fund and managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

And now something that the left wing anti Christian, pro Muslim, anti US, new age, Guardian reading El Beeb will never show in a million years...

Get this video and more at MySpace.com

Lastly the cartoon jihad continues...

DUBAI - A man believed to be a top al-Qaida militant who escaped from a U.S. airbase in Afghanistan urged Muslims in an Internet video to launch attacks in Europe as revenge for cartoons that lampooned the Prophet Muhammad. ...

Abu Yahya al-Libi is believed to be the alias of Libyan Mohammad Hassan who along with three other al-Qaida militants broke out of the Bagram Air Base last year. ...

“Believers, don’t let your prophet down and don’t let our response to this grave insult just be protests and forums,” said the man in the video which was dated February and posted on the Internet early on Friday.

“Denmark, Norway and France, you enemies of Islam, you have committed a grave offence against God and his prophet,” he said.

“Muslims, let’s not be slack about this ... hone your swords and shake the ground beneath their feet so they can feel our pain, let’s send rivers of blood down their streets.”

- and when he gets killed one day we can cue the joke of: Th-th-thats all folks!

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